A Look Through Glass
by Nimbiose
Summary: Glimpses of new possibilities had things played out differently, in which Tsuna's guardians are not quite what you'd expect. This does not make them any less deadly. An experiment with a different tenth generation. Complete. Might still edit.
1. Storm

**A Look Through Glass**

**Summary.** Glimpses of new possibilities had things played out differently, in which Tsuna's guardians are not quite what you'd expect. This does not make them any less deadly. An experiment with a different tenth generation.  
><strong>Pairing. <strong>Hints of K27 and XanxusKyoko  
><strong>Rating.<strong> PG  
><strong>Disclaimer.<strong> The KHR! franchise does not belong to me, but to Akira Amano and people with more money.  
><strong>AN.** unbeta'd, as usual, because i'm a lazyass who can't find it in herself to look for one, so there are probably grammatical errors and whatnot.  
><strong>General things to know<strong>** (!).** this was originally a very much discarded idea for an epicly long chaptered fic in which world's collided and worked together to defeat byakuran. that is dead and gone now, but the idea itself is interesting and appealing enough to my inner feminist for me to try.

this first glimpse of this parallel world is set TYL, after the defeat of Byakuran. not all of the other chapters will be set in the same time period.

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><p>I-Pin could just barely recall the first few months in the Sawada house. Mostly what she remembered were feelings: joy, comfort, safety and annoyance at Lambo. The first distinct memory is that of a group of men dressed in black who, for some reason or other which a five-year-old could not understand, meant them harm. She would sometimes dream of blond hair, knives in the darkness and strong gusts of wind. Her lack of knowledge of the past was understandable: most people tend to forget the things they lived through when they were still children.<p>

I-Pin had still been young when the whole affair with Byakuran had sent them on an apparently one-way trip to the future. This did not mean she was wholly unaware of what transpired as she seemed to be with the Ring Battle, just that her memory was sketchy.

She recalled the inner security of the Vongola Base, riddled with Lambo's antics and attempts to escape the oppressiveness of it. She also remembered a large white city, watching events unfold behind a glass. Last but not least, she occasionally had vague instances in which she could envision a forest, bright lights of all colors, and dinosaurs.

I-Pin knew that if she ever had any questions, she could ask, or even go through the Vongola files as she was sure the events had been documented accordingly, probably in a matter of hours after they had returned from the past. The Vongola were frighteningly efficient like that.

Another aspect that made the Vongola frightening was its feared assassination squad, the famous (or was it infamous?) Varia. It was not without a few well-placed threats and one or two bribes that she had managed to get Lambo to accompany her to their headquarters. As their car neared the building, she could see Lambo becoming paler. Their driver gave both them pitiful looks as he dropped them off at the gate, not daring to go any closer.

I-Pin waved at him cheerfully as he drove off, and then confidently turned to march into the Varia's entrance hall. Lambo followed stiffly, wondering not for the first time about the sanity of his friend. Pointedly ignoring her companion's uneasy mutterings, I-Pin strode forward confidently, until she reached the conference room.

Opening the door and causing any conversation that had been going to cease, she walked forward and took a seat, no hesitation marring her movements, while her appointed bodyguard quickly shut the doors and stood quivering behind her.

"VOOOOOOOII! You're late!" Squalo's voice was the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry, there was a last minute change – both Kyoko and Haru couldn't manage to get away from their assignments on time, so, here I am," I-Pin supplied with a bright smile to the roomful of assassins, herself and Lambo included.

Her explanation seemed to as much appease as aggravate her audience, but with a few mutters the conversation flowed on. The meeting was about the Vongola's newest hit-list for the Varia, as well as a list of expenses presented by the Varia which they deemed necessary. I-Pin had already been prepared and groomed for her part, which was to give them a strict budget. Kyoko and Haru had been firm on that front, and the memory of Bianchi's threats over the video conference should the budget grow even by one number gave I-Pin the courage and determination she would otherwise not have.

The fact that she was no longer a lost little girl but a confident, teenage assassin working for the most powerful Mafia family also helped. The fact that she was a Guardian and that despite their lack of men the main Vongola branch had still dignified the Varia with one of the higher-ups being present at the meeting also won points in her favour.

As for her position in the Guardians, being the youngest one of all of them, it did not harm her credibility or importance. True, she was still in high school, and could do with much more training than she had the moment. However, the Varia had received the memories of the possible future, and they had seen potential in her younger self which, ironically enough, I-Pin could not quite recall.

Whatever had transpired however had clearly earned her some form of recognition, because she was able to arrive at a reasonable budget with the group of madmen, although - and she had to wince slightly at this - Haru or Kyoko would've probably been able to pull it down much further than she had.

As the meeting concluded and they all stood up, I-Pin waited respectfully for the Varia Captains to file out first.

"Voi! Tell the little sword girl that I'll be giving her extra training for taking so long!" Squalo, the first one to move towards the door, called out.

"Will do!" I-Pin replied brightly.

Neither Levi nor Lussuria had anything particular to tell her, although Lussuria did offer a shopping date sometime soon which "you better not miss sweetheart! Bring the other girls as well, we'll have such a fun time!".

I-Pin doubted Bianchi or Kuromu would appreciate the invitation, and, as much as she was sure Lussuria would love to see Gamma, she didn't think she'd be able to drag him along. As for M.M., I-Pin wasn't even going to try - the woman was a force to be reckoned with. Lussuria did manage to grope Lambo's butt on the way out though ("Gyaah!" "Well, _you_ certainly grew up well, dear,"), so she figured it'd be alright.

Mammon paused by the door once, his protégé Fran (entrusted to him momentarily by Kuromu) waiting dutifully in the corridor with his signature dull eyes, just to once more plead the case for the budget. I-Pin grinned brightly as she refused, and the greedy baby sighed as he floated out and landed on Fran's shoulder. The teenage assassin was sure that the Arcobaleno was mentally calculating the costs for the next year for the Varia, and how they'd have to cope with what they'd be given.

Belphegor, the Varia's own claim to royalty, was the last member of the assassination squad to leave the room.

(As a general rule, Xanxus refused to attend to these meetings, unless the Vongola Tenth himself was present. The only other occasion when he might venture out of his quarters would be when Kyoko came to visit and he was in the mood to see if her skills were still as close to his. I-Pin often wondered if the closeness Kyoko had with the Varia leader ever bothered Tsuna, but he took it all in good grace, bless the man.)

"Ushishishi, the prince deems you worthy of keeping him company this afternoon," slightly startled out of her thoughts, I-Pin turned to her once-nemesis.

His hair was wavier, and he might have been wearing a new tiara, but Belphegor had not changed much since she'd last seen him. He was still taller than her, unfortunately, but that was something she had come to accept as unchangeable unless she hit a growth spurt soon.

Ignoring Lambo's pleas behind her, ("I-Pin, you can't say yes, c'mon I wanna _leave_, these guys are _crazy_, _please I-Piiiin_,") I-Pin considered the offer for a few minutes. In what she had come to refer as Bel-speak, he was pretty much inviting her for a training session with him before she left. They'd usually end up pretty battered and with multiple cuts on both ends, but it was always entertaining, so…

"Sure Bel! Lead the way," she answered with a large smile. Behind her, Lambo groaned and might have hit his head against the door. Bel twitched lightly in response to how she called him ("you shall refer to me as prince, peasant, and nothing else," he'd told her more than once), but then simply grinned even wider, probably thinking about the many ways he could remind her of that fact by injuring her during training.

She didn't care. She knew she could take a sparring session with him – although they were not on wholly even ground just yet, it was only a matter of time. The fact that one of her weapons was so similar to his own only infuriated him and made it all the more worth it for her, because she'd learn new tricks from watching him.

As they stood on opposite sides of the training ground, and Lambo watched on in despair, Belphegor drew his knives and activated his storm flame fast. He threw them at her speedily and then drew his second wave of knives. On her end, I-Pin countered the knives with storm-flame-infused _shuriken_, and then rolled out of the way to pull out her first pair of matching _hudie shuangdao_ (1). She had more pairs hidden in her attire, but for the moment these were doing quite nicely, as they covered her from the ongoing assault of Belphegor's second knife attack. Once it stopped, she herself lunged.

And as she ran towards her opponent, revealing her martial art training as she skilfully avoided new attacks, she was grinning. She was having fun, and, after all, she had always been an assassin. The fact that she was now the Vongola Tenth's Storm Guardian did not change that – in fact, it made her want to train more and become an even better fighter.

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><p>(1) Translates to 'butterfly swords' if my research is correct. Any Chinese speakers feel free to correct me. If I'm not mistaken, they're a pair of short swords about the length of a forearm, making it handy for close-fighting and hiding it under clothes, which I-Pin likes to do. It was originally used in the South of China.<p>

**A/N.** i made I-Pin the Storm Guardian as a nod to her master, Fon, for the most part. he is a martial artist and yet the Storm Arcobaleno, which is why i kept her close-range fighting ability but also, gave her ninja weapons such as shuriken for mid/long-range fighting. she's a martial artist-ninja girl or something. i had her more thought out originally, but her bubbly, confident personality pretty much took over halfway through.

some details of this verse have obviously been revealed through this first chapter, or vignette, or one-shot, but i don't think i've given away much, just a glimpse of the other guardians. why they're who they are and which elements they represent will be revealed as time passes, although some of you may be able to make a guess already.

title shamelessly stolen from Lewis Carroll's _Through the Looking-Glass._ sorry Mr. Carroll, it just felt entirely too appropriate for this particular idea of mine.

also, a warning: i procrastinate, so i don't know how far this fic will go and how often i'll update. it is pretty much set at seven chapters, so hopefully that'll help, especially since they're all pretty much stand-alone except for the common thread…okay, nevermind.

finally, concrit is much appreciated, especially in terms of characterization and the general idea of the fic. as in, am i crazy or is this interesting?

**EDIT (July 10th, 2011):** Tweaked a few details to follow some changes in plot.

**EDIT 2 (August 9th, 2011):** Entire fic (ch.1-4) edit - tweaked a couple more details for plot changes and tried to fix the wording a bit.


	2. Rain

**A Look Through Glass**

**Pairing.** None  
><strong>Rating.<strong> PG  
><strong>AN.** since you've made it this far, i assume you understand how the fanfic works now. this second glimpse, as you will see, is basically one big flashback until the end where we go TYL to the preparations for the battle with the Millefiore.

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><p>Haru had been young when she'd first joined the Mafia. To be fair, she hadn't even <em>known <em>she'd joined the Mafia until fairly recently – at least, she hadn't been fully aware of what it meant, especially when the Mafia Family you joined was the Vongola.

Sure, the incident with the Varia had been troublesome, not to mention daunting. Of their group of friends she was one of the few people, besides Tsuna, who had her feet firmly planted on the ground and realized the sheer insanity of the situation. Haru had been, as expected of any teenage girl suddenly facing an independent assassination squad in a battle that really had nothing to do with her, _extremely_ frightened. It was even worse when she found out she'd have to battle that man with the long, silver hair because _good lord, she'd seen him destroy a significant portion of a building with his sword and hurt her stronger friends_.

When she realized she'd be the one fighting him, or others like him, she crumbled. Haru refused to leave her room and go to school. Her parents worried, her friends worried, but no one could get her out. She had hoped that by locking herself up in her room, time would stop and she would never have to face that scary man with the beautiful hair. Her self-imposed confinement came to an abrupt end when a baseball hit her window.

Yamamoto Takeshi apologized profusely, and then offered to get them some free sushi in compensation. Her parents, overjoyed that their daughter had finally been persuaded to leave the room (Haru had thought that their house was under attack), told him that they'd go to _Takesushi_ instead.

She'd always been good enough at sports, but nothing otherworldly. Haru had fond memories of fencing sessions when she was younger – one of those demands only children are prone to ask from their parents, who pamper and spoil them too much to refuse – but that had been the limit of her acquaintance with a sword. Obviously, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi saw potential. Perhaps it had been the fond stories her parents started to tell him once they sat down to eat, or maybe the way she had skilfully made clean cuts on the food whenever she'd helped in the kitchen (something which, with Tsuna, had been a common enough occurrence to pay for the repair damage).

Whatever the case, that night, instead of once more returning to her solitary confinement, Haru sat before the eldest Yamamoto in his training room. Yamamoto Takeshi had gone off to bed already ("Big game tomorrow!"), and her parents had left her in the smiling man's care. Haru, however, was at a loss for why she was still there.

"Um…can I go?" she asked, timidly and rather out-of-character for her.

Tsuyoshi sighed, and then sat down in front of her, so that they were facing each other. He looked at her straight in the eye, which caused her to flinch slightly, and then nodded slowly.

"Haru, you're scared right?" he asked.

"How'd you-"

"The baby came to talk to me, and I can see he's right," Haru bit her lip and bowed her head, for some reason ashamed to admit her fear in front of this man. The fact that a grown man had accepted Reborn's diagnosis of her mood did little to ease her worries.

"Haru, you're no longer the smiling, happy girl from before – the one who'd always be the first to stand up for what she believed in, or offer help and protection," Haru seemed to curl up even more, wringing her hands but not stopping the man's speech.

"And that worries me – I…well, God knows I don't really want to do this to you, the path of the sword is not one I would wish on anyone, but the baby said this might help you be yourself again, and I can't lie to myself and say you don't have some measure of talent, but," the man sighed, "you have to understand, I am giving you a _choice_, I am not forcing you to learn a technique that would otherwise die with me, nor am I saying you will be successful, I am merely saying I can teach it to you and that you have potential,"

Unknown to Tsuyoshi, Haru's eyes had widened considerably as she listened and realized what this could mean. She could defend herself, and protect her family, her friends. She could stand next to Kyoko and I-Pin and Tsuna and _not_ be ashamed of herself when compared to them. She could stop being the odd one out, and she could repay the loud man every. single. scar. As she pondered over the possibilities, Tsuyoshi seemed to back down at her silence.

"Very well Haru, I can see you're not interested, come on then, I'll walk you-"

"Hahi! What makes you think I'm not interested?" and as Haru looked up at Tsuyoshi, eyes once more bright and full of a burning resolve, Tsuyoshi gasped, before smiling.

"Alright then, we better start – there's only so much time to learn the _Shigure Sōen Ryu_, and we've already wasted enough,"

**-o-**

Ten years into the future, Haru blinked as she opened her eyes before closing them again and groaning at the bright light of a sunrise. Why was she awake?

"VOOOOOOII! Wake up, you lazy brat! It's no time to be sleeping, we've got to train!"

Ah, she thought blearily, that'd be why. Groaning and her grunting as her sore muscles protested from having slept on rock the night before, Haru stood up and yawned. This seemed to only vex her companion more.

"VOOOOOII! You stupid girl, stop yawning! We're wasting daylight, now hurry up and grab your weapon!"

"Hahi! There is no need to be so rude and loud this early!"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING LOUD?"

"Hahi! Haru thinks Squalo is getting deaf in his old age!"

"Why you- come here, you little brat! I'll show you what it means to be a sword emperor!"

In the early lights of the morning, metal clashed and muscles moved. The Ring Battles with the Varia had happened ten years ago to the Squalo Haru was currently fighting, but it had only been a couple of months for her. Having been thrown unceremoniously into a conflict ten years from her time had been troublesome and painful – not only had her parents disappeared, but Yamamoto Tsuyoshi and his son were nowhere to be found. Haru had dealt with it as best she could, and unlike last time when she'd locked herself away, she became a strong shoulder for Kyoko (whose brother was gone in the future), Tsuna and the rest of their Family.

According to her current sparring partner, his defeat at her hands ten years ago (two months, Haru thought to herself) had been true, but that didn't mean she was ready for their upcoming battle with the Millefiore. He still hadn't forgiven her for losing to Genkishi when, according to Squalo, he'd warned her something was off about the illusionist (Haru still wasn't sure how he expected her to know that just from watching his videos – which were poorly edited, by the way, as she'd fully explained to him already, resulting only in more screams and swords flung in her general direction).

In the time since she'd first met Tsuna til now, Haru was beginning to understand what it meant to be a member of the Mafia, a Guardian of the Vongola's Tenth Boss. It meant countless battles, it meant pain – physical and mental –, it meant wars, destruction, training, sore muscles and heartache. But it also meant having friends, teachers, acquaintances, and people who generally cared about each other and supported each other through everything (even if they didn't really like each other).

So as her blue Rain flame flared to life and her Vongola ring lit up, as her two swords (one _Shigure Kintoki_ and the other coming from a box weapon) were shrouded in the tranquility of the Rain flame, as her box weapon was opened and a seal appeared, Haru just had to remind herself of one thing. Her training may be tough, and her teacher loud, but she was doing this for her Family. And she'd always go the extra mile for them.

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><p><strong>AN.** yes, Haru has Rain flames, which don't correspond with that one KHR! game where they give her Thunder flames, but I've got someone else planned for the Thunder Guardian sooo…we get Haru wielding swords. i know Haru might not be exactly as tranquil as Yamamoto, but Squalo isn't exactly the embodiment of tranquility. i also wanted to see her and Squalo drive each other up the wall.

in regards to her breakdown, she _is_ one of the few people who notes the insanity of the Mafia early on (aside from Tsuna), which is the reason why i had her react to the Varia and the Ring Battles the way she does. for all intents and purposes, she was a normal, frightened little girl. as she reveals though, there's more to her than that, and both Reborn and Tsuyoshi saw her potential. idk, comments on her characterization and her portrayal would be simply amazing, i had a hard time grasping her character.

also, yes, her animal box weapon is a seal. and like the elephants, Squalo's shark and Basil's dolphin, it somehow floats with the flames. I-Pin's might come up later in some other fragment of this. if it doesn't, i'll try to let you know what it was.

my apologies for the cliché, happy-happy ending. i'm not entirely happy with this one, so i might go back someday and edit. as it is, this is what i have for now.

as always, concrit, flames and reviews in general are highly appreciated.


	3. Sun

**A Look Through Glass**

**Pairing.** Hints of K27 and XanxusKyoko  
><strong>Rating.<strong> PG  
><strong>AN. **i actually re-read this time, but with this still being unbeta'd, be warned: there be grammatical errors in these here waters, yarr.  
>this glimpse centers mostly on the beginning of the Varia arc, and gives a few brief hints about the beginning and the future, and also clears up some relationships. i'm definitely interested in writing more about her relationship with Tsuna, Reborn and Xanxus now.<p>

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><p>Sasagawa Kyoko had always been a simple girl, really. She enjoyed a simple childhood with simple toys. She'd had simple, if slightly prone to spoiling, parents and she lived in a simple town. Her friends had been of her same ilk all through elementary school, and there was no reason to believe her middle school friends would be any different.<p>

When the time came, however, Kyoko realized that the simplicity she had taken for granted would never come again. This did not mean, however, that she ran away, frightened, to her brother. Oh no, when it came to the few real friends Sasagawa Kyoko had made in her thus far simple life, she was the first to admit she was excessively protective – almost dangerously so.

Thus it was that, one sunny school day in Namimori Middle, she set to out to discover what was ailing one of her few real friends, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Kyoko was fully aware that she'd had a brief crush on him when they were younger (something about him protecting her from bullies which had only resulted in the kids bullying Tsuna instead), but in the past few months since middle school begun and a baby named Reborn had appeared in their lives, she'd been forced to re-evaluate her opinion of him, realizing that he had actually become a very dear friend of hers. And if there was one thing Sasagawa Kyoko did, was protect and worry over her close friends.

So when she noted the dark bags under his eyes and the hardening of Reborn's eyes, Kyoko knew she had to act. Powered by the dazzling smile that had made her the school's idol, Kyoko had boldly asked Tsuna to have lunch with her and then, having gained his confidence enough, got him to tell her the truth.

In all truth, Kyoko figured Reborn was right when he told Tsuna that it had been unavoidable, especially when she realized that she was actually a key player in the events around them. Having told Haru what Tsuna told her, the two girls had connected the dots and related it all to the man with long hair that had attacked them in the shopping mall. The attack and the man, they recognized in turn, had to do with the rings they all now wore (Kyoko had been suspicious of them from the get-go, but no one had said anything, and who was she to refuse free jewelry when offered to her?). Her friend hadn't exactly taken that too well – Kyoko worried for a long time when Haru confined herself to her room and didn't want to see anyone. But she had her own problems to deal with as well.

Although taking self-defense lessons with her brother made her significantly stronger than Haru, it still didn't mean she was anywhere close to being able to taken on a group of professional assassins. Her quick loss in the whole Rokudo Mukuro incident a month before was testament to that.

Kyoko was also painfully aware that, aside from those self-defense lessons, she had no weapon other than her limited amount of muscle. And, despite being strong-willed and stubborn, she was still a girl who disliked getting up-close and personal if she could avoid it. She momentarily had considered asking Bianchi for help, since she'd heard her being referred to as a well-known assassin, but instead opted for a different option.

"It's quite brave of you to seek me out yourself," Reborn told her, as he sipped his espresso languidly in his pupil's kitchen. Kyoko smiled demurely and nodded.

"I didn't have anyone else I could ask," she replied.

"Ask what, exactly? This might surprise you, but your brother would actually be a very good tutor for someone with your attribute," the infant replied. Slightly taken by surprise, Kyoko's eyes widened. Quickly, however, she managed to compose herself and strengthened her resolve.

"I don't think so – you see, I want to learn how to wield a gun," well, _that_ certainly took Reborn by surprise. Kyoko decided to burn in the image in her brain for future reference, since she knew it wasn't often that the baby hitman was so caught unawares that he spilled his own coffee.

Reborn soon managed to get over his initial surprise, charcoal eyes narrowing slightly before a smirk settled on his features. To say he was surprised by her decision would be an understatement, but to be against it would label him a hypocrite. Glancing up and studying the young girl before him with new eyes, he seemed to be searching for_ something_ in her gaze. Something it he apparently found – whether that was a good or bad thing, it would remain to be seen.

"I suppose that'll do as well…I can't train you personally, as I'd like to, since I have to take care of your stupid Boss-to-be but...I know someone who'll do just fine…just let me make a few calls," with a grateful nod, and a promise to be around more to Nana, Kyoko left the house.

When she got home, she was greeted by another infant, this one dressed in green military clothing, blond and with a rifle strapped to his back. Kyoko would bet a slice of her favourite cake that was no mere toy rifle the kid was carrying. When he saw her approach, though, he seemed to put up some kind of childish act, pretending to be a lost kid looking for his relatives home. Kyoko smiled amiably and chuckled, before pointing out the ring to him.

Instantly, his entire expression changed. Kyoko suddenly found herself staring directly at the rifle, before the child moved it to press against her biceps. As if nodding to himself, the baby grinned in a way that Kyoko could only describe as _sadistic._

"Your muscles aren't that bad, hey," he said, "from what Reborn told me, you want to learn to play with firearms, but a strong body is always good to have anyway,"

Kyoko nodded, face turning serious as she listened dutifully.

"My name's Colonello, and I'm going to make your life a living hell for the next few days, so try to keep up, hey," Colonello grinned ferociously once more. Kyoko could only grin back in response, a dangerous glint surfacing momentarily in her eyes.

"Sasagawa Kyoko, it'll be a pleasure working with you,"

(Unknown to her, the hellish training she underwent with Colonello would pale in comparison to the one she'd eventually receive from Xanxus and, in due time, Reborn himself.)

When she stepped forth to meet Lussuria, her opponent from the Varia, she had a pair of handguns around her waist and a rifle strapped to her back. Although she was good with the weapons (she was told later on in her life that she'd gained Xanxus' interest from that very first fight), she still lacked the technical finesse and ability that she would come to be associated with as the Vongola Tenth's feared Sun Guardian.

In this first conflict, her speedy training had served its purpose, and she was able to successfully (if narrowly) win the first fight for the Vongola (when her brother asked about her injuries, she explained her grade was entering an acrobatics competition and they were practicing til late, so she'd fallen when she got too tired. Her brother was concerned and told her not to try too hard. She smiled sweetly and nodded. This small lie would soon come to mean 'Mafia Affairs' for the rest of her life).

As life continued and the Varia were defeated, Kyoko momentarily thought the simplicity of her life had returned, only to be rudely awoken to face the crude reality of the Mafia when they were sent ten years into the future.

A future in which her brother, Tsuna and Reborn were all gone. A future in which they were hunted down, a future she desperately wanted to avoid at all costs. A future in which Haru was the stronger one of the two for once – something which Kyoko was quick to fix when Reborn and Tsuna approached her separately. Kyoko grinned and swallowed the pain, determined, in Tsuna's case, to remain the same cheery, strong girl he'd always known so they could defeat this Byakuran fellow and return home to avoid this horrible, _horrible_ future altogether. In Reborn's case, she found herself craving to be accepted under his tutelage.

(Somewhere along the way, Kyoko actually found herself enjoying the strength that came with training – the idea of no longer relying on her brother for protection while still retaining her humble personality and consequently catching all who tried to do anything to her unawares. She was as excited by this prospect as she was frightened by it, since with it came a growing satisfaction at watching others fall before her because they underestimated her – a wolf in sheep's clothing, as Xanxus had said more than once. Her bloodlust having woken, she set out to use it in the interests of the people important to her. And with more power, came more protection, for which she needed more training, and after Xanxus, Reborn was really the only one left.)

Sasagawa Kyoko was still a simple young woman ten years later, the people at her middle school reunion would say. They did not know that she considered wielding two handguns, a grenade and an army rifle just as simple. They did not know she viewed wrestling a tiger into submission so he'd become her box weapon simple, or that she considered harming others just as simple if it meant protecting her Family. They did not know that she found it simple to retain the same bright, sunny disposition and ignore the sound of breaking bones whenever she had to interrogate someone from an enemy family.

They did know that Sasagawa Kyoko was a simple girl, with a simple childhood and the simple dream of peace in her life. Since she could not have that, however, Kyoko simply took the next best thing: her family.

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><p><strong>AN.** of the two girl's, Kyoko's always seemed the more in tune and at peace with the whole Mafia thing. considering she's set as Tsuna's love interest, and will someday be the wife of a powerful Mafia boss, i figured she must have quite the backbone and determination. i gave her guns and firearms, because despite her Sun flame and her Guardian position, she doesn't strike me as a close-range fighter, but rather as a girl who enjoys eating cake and being girly, yet deceptively aware of her surroundings and protective. instead, guns seemed much more in tune with the personality of a sweet, idolized schoolgirl (the fact that Reborn is the Sun Arcobaleno and also uses a gun helped me make the decision as well – the Arcobaleno break all stereotypes when it comes to associating personality-types with flame-types, and i love them for that). i figured making her fiercely protective to the extent that it awakened her bloodlust worked in nicely with the characteristics i've picked up from Kyoko: her concern for her brother, her stubbornness to find out what was going on and finally her calm, if somewhat worried acceptance of what was going on around her.

remember, concrit, flames, reviews are all welcome here! especially for Kyoko's characterization in this one - it took me a while to flesh her out like i wanted to, and i'm still not too sure.

**EDIT (July 15th, 2011) :** Changed Kyoko's box weapon animal after thinking about it for a while, and changed a few words for the sake of pacing and whatnot.


	4. Thunder

**A Look Through Glass**

**Pairing.** Hints of AriaGamma if you squint (?)  
><strong>Rating.<strong> PG  
><strong>AN.** as usual, unbeta'd, and for this particular chapter i'm thinking i really could've used one D: i'm too lazy though. boohoo. anyway, this glimpse begins in Italy and once again centers on the Varia arc with a small mention of the future.

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><p>Gamma had been absolutely against the idea at first. According to him, he already had a Mafia Family and a Boss whom he cared about deeply, thank you very much. Thus, one can imagine his surprise when he walked into his Boss' office one morning, and found himself presented with the Vongola Thunder Ring.<p>

He had met the candidate for the position of the Vongola's Tenth Boss, Sawada Tsunayoshi, about a month earlier. The Giglio Nero Boss, Aria, had been in Japan on business and she'd decided to take a side trip to Namimori to meet up with fellow pacifier-holder and renowned baby hitman, Reborn.

At the time of the encounter, Reborn had been tutoring Tsuna, and Gamma had been faithfully accompanying his Boss. From what he remembered, Sawada Tsunayoshi was a short, thin pipsqueak who was as far away from being a big bad Mafia Boss as Gamma was of being Queen of England. He refrained from commenting however, because Aria had taken a liking to the kid and it was none of his business. Gamma had assumed he would never meet the kid again.

Fate, however, had a funny way of screwing up his plans. In this case, fate came in the form of one Sawada Iemitsu, Tsuna's father and the Vongola Ninth's External Advisor. Before leaving Italy for Japan, Iemitsu stopped by the Giglio Nero Family's house. According to the man, Reborn had sent him a letter detailing Aria's meeting with Tsuna, and had pinpointed him as a possibility for Tsuna's Thunder Guardian.

Presented with this, Gamma did the only thing he could do. He refused, promptly and surely. Iemitsu, that tricky man, smirked before turning over to Aria, and informing her that if Gamma refused to do his duty (what duty? He hadn't agreed to anything), the Vongola Tenth would be forced to include not one, but two five-year-olds in his circle of Guardians. Aria nodded, and quickly turned to Gamma, who was once again wholly ready to meet steel with steel and refuse.

(He found himself on the same plane as Iemitsu not three hours later, gritting his teeth and pointedly ignoring the overly cheerful man the entire flight.)

When they finally arrived at Namimori, the Ring Battles had already begun. The first battle had gone in the favour of the Vongola, who now held the Sun ring.

(Gamma was still unsure how an elite member of an also elite assassination squad was beaten by a middle-school girl. The information only served to strengthen his belief that this entire thing was a sham and that the Vongola were doomed anyway, so why try at all?)

Gamma, despite being the midst of the conflict, refused to take his position as Guardian candidate seriously. He also wanted to go back to his Boss and ask her what in the world she was thinking. Thus, he opted to face the Varia's candidate, Levi-A-Than, armed only with his trusty gun.

(His ass had been handed to him and he was electrocuted to unconsciousness, only to end up being saved by Tsuna, who, despite knowing Gamma hardly at all, had risked not only Gamma's half-ring but also his own Sky ring for a man whom he'd had a fond memory of.)

Gamma woke up right before the Sky battle, and despite being heavily injured, had to endure the poisoning and the fight due to the meddlesome Cervello. By then, however, his mind had already been made up. He owed Sawada Tsunayoshi his life, and because of that, he'd be the best damn Thunder Guardian the Vongola had ever seen.

But before he made that decision, he waited for his previous Boss to visit him at Namimori's local clinic. Aria came in, beautiful and deadly as always, with a pleasant, understanding smile on her face.

"So, I'm talking to the Vongola Tenth's Thunder Guardian, right?" she asked, chuckling.

"Cut it out Boss, there's no need for that," Gamma replied, blushing lightly and mentally damning his pale complexion.

"And there's no need for you to call me Boss anymore either, is there?" she countered cooly, raising her eyebrow. Gamma frowned at that, because Aria was still, and always would be, his Boss.

"That's not true Boss, you're still my Boss and Gilgio Nero is still my Family – I just also happen to work for the Vongola now too," he informed her. Aria stared at him in surprise for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing. Gamma stared and stuttered in response.

"It's just – you said it so solemnly! Of course you're still part of the Giglio Nero Gamma – I was just teasing! I've already contacted the Ninth about a possible alliance given the new position of one of my best men in the Vongola," she smiled, chuckling as his expressions changed, from slight anger to pleasant surprise.

"You are, of course, a firm part of the Vongola now, and there's nothing I can do to change that if it is what you want – just know, you'll always be welcome in the Giglio Nero," she smiled one last time, tightening her hold on his hand, before leaning over and kissing his temple. Gamma, once again, blushed, and he continued blushing as she walked out the door without a backward glance.

The pale man was later on escorted out of the hospital by Sawada Nana and Reborn, who'd introduced Gamma as "Tsuna's new tutor, Mama, nothing to worry about, he just needs room and board". In the next few days, Gamma became a firm part of the ever-growing Sawada household, getting to know his new Family and especially his new Boss.

As he tutored the youngest Sawada, Gamma came to appreciate and recognize the kid for who he was. Sawada Tsunayoshi may not have been the most conventional of Mafia bosses – he did not have a clue how to disarm a gun, for one. He may not have had any idea about Mafia history – his knowledge was limited to "I use Primo's gloves, whoever he was". He may not have had even the basics of Italian down – the most anyone had gotten out of him had been "Bovino" and "Vongola".

But Tsuna had something else. Tsuna was the kind of Boss who would choose to give up the fight instead of seeing his loved ones get hurt (as was revealed to him through both the Thunder and Storm battles). He was the kind of Boss who extended the hand of friendship to those who had meant him harm. He was the kind of Boss who didn't even want to be a Boss, but would take on the duty if it meant being able to protect those he cared about. And for all that, for all the changes he brought to his life and for how he opened his eyes, Gamma swore, he would stand by his side.

Thus it was that, when they were transported to a daunting future, Gamma stood straight and true next to his Boss, his billiard weapon ready and his twin black foxes with him. Because if there was one thing Gamma was, it was fearless and wholly sure of the man who would come to lead the Vongola. Because if there was one thing Gamma excelled at, it was being there whenever his Boss and the other Guardians needed it, standing up for what they all believed in, even when it meant having to forcibly open the eyes of his previous Family.

And if there was one thing Gamma would go down in Vongola history for, it was being the Vongola Tenth's feared Thunder Guardian and Right-Hand Man.

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><p><strong>AN.** so, i never did say all of Tsuna's guardians would be the girls. thus, partly because i am very fond of Gamma as a character and partly because i realized how uncommon Thunder flames seem to be, he's this worlds Vongola Thunder Guardian. plus, i have always wanted to explore the possibility of Gamma taking Gokudera's place and viceversa, since they're both such loyal right-hands to their respective bosses. this fic allowed me to do that - if only for Gamma. i might someday write Gokudera's perspective, or maybe even the fight between the two of them in this universe with switched roles. i've become quite fond of this alternate world of mine, and a bunch of ideas have been sprouting for one-shots centering around it, to explore many of the things i haven't fully been able to explore here.

Gamma, as much as i love the man, was an absolute pain to write - especially his feelings regarding the Giglio Nero and Vongola and his working for both. therefore, if you tell me characterization is off in certain parts, i'd be eternally grateful. i'm really not too pleased with this one, and the only way i can think of fixing it is maybe rewatching Gamma episodes, but i'm still not too confident in my depiction of him. thus, comments and concrit regarding that would be much appreciated.

in other news, i'm up-to-date with the Nurarihyon no Mago anime, yaaay. -had only read the manga-

concrit, flames, comments! all welcome!


	5. Mist

**A Look Through Glass**

**Pairing.** Hints of 9669 and Ken - 69...9669...er...god idk anymore ;_;  
><strong>Warnings.<strong> Character death - or something like it.  
><strong>Rating.<strong> PG-13  
><strong>AN.** this is one of those chapters that leaves me wanting to expand and explore on the idea much more orz. um, unbeta'd. this glimpse takes place right before the Varia Arc and during the Arc.

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><p>Four weeks before the Ring Battle started, five weeks after Tsuna had defeated Rokudo Mukuro, and three weeks after Ken and Chikusa's escape at Mukuro's expense, there was an unheard of incident in Vindice Prison. One of their inmates in the lower security cells had managed to escape, arm himself and subsequently mess with the Vindice's main control room. It took four guards to finally subdue the man before he was thrown into the lower levels of the prison.<p>

(A week prior to this incident, a car accident had landed a girl named Nagi in a comma and in a near-death state, with parents that did not care enough to help her.)

The inmate, however, had already done irreparable damage. By messing about with the main control room, he had severely changed the statistics for the high profile prisoners kept in the tubes in the innermost levels of the place. As a result, while some prisoners received higher levels of oxygen and nutrition, others received none at all, and died as a result. Among these was Rokudo Mukuro.

In a hospital bed, far away from the Vindice prison, the girl named Nagi had begun to spend more time in her inner world as a result of her comatose state, visited by a man who called himself Rokudo Mukuro. They talked often, and it was in one of these talks that he asked her if she was afraid of death. She said yes, even though she knew her life had little to give her. He then asked her if she'd help him if he prevented her death. The prospect of continuing to live and having a purpose in life was almost too much to bear. She agreed wholeheartedly.

(To this day, doctors continued to be baffled at the apparent miraculous recovery of a girl who was missing essential organs to continue living.)

A week into their relationship and four days after their agreement, the girl heard Mukuro's voice calling out to her desperately.

"I am dying," he said.

"No," she all but gasped, tears beginning to cloud her vision, as she realized, selfishly, that the death of this man meant hers as well.

"Calm yourself, my dear, I have thought up a way to save both of us – although I will be honest, it will require great sacrifice on both our parts," as he said this he swiped her long purple tresses behind her ear, and stared at her single eye.

"A-anything for you, Mukuro-sama," she replied, entranced by his mismatched eyes and the possibility of life.

"Very well," the man nodded, and closed his eyes in concentration.

The girl's beautiful inner world, which resembled a garden with clear blue skies, was suddenly assaulted with darker clouds and wilder vegetation. The sun peeked occasionally in certain spots, such as a small table with a tea set, but for the most part the place had become dark and haunting. The grassy meadow was suddenly overtaken by a forest, ominous, thorny and full of hideously beautiful flowers. The clear lake, which had previously shined with the sun's rays, was now full of lava.

In the hospital, a young girl opened her eyes. One was blue, the other a stunning red. She stood up from the bed, taking in her surroundings, before standing up to stare at herself in the mirror. A bit unsteady on her feet at first, she managed to get used to her new height, and eventually managed to reach the mirror.

The girl studied herself: she had the mismatched eyes of Rokudo Mukuro, and the purple tresses of a girl called Nagi. In terms of height she was somewhere between the two of them. Being female, she was lithe and soft, with dainty hands, but she knew that her muscles, reflexes and combat abilities were stronger than those of almost all men. Closing her eyes momentarily, she was pleased to note that her organs were perfectly fine, if a bit unnourished.

She twirled and inspected her new body, before righting herself and nodding. Noting the hospital gown she donned, she glanced at the pretty ruffled dress which had been hanged on the room's dresser. Grimacing, she decided against it, instead quietly leaving the room, effortlessly shrouding herself in the illusion of a nurse as she left the building, a curious, trident-like object in hand.

**-o-**

"But we have no Mist Guardian!" Tsuna held his head, closing his eyes tightly. They needed to win this one!

His friends and Guardian's looked at each other worriedly. Although they had won two of the battles, it was also true they had lost three of the half-rings, and this coming battle could turn out to be decisive. They had no idea who the Mist Guardian could be. No one seemed to notice Reborn's confident smirk. On the other side of the gymnasium, the Varia looked smug.

"Ushishishi, seems you might not even have to fight, Mammon," the self-proclaimed Prince grinned.

"Hmph, it's a bit of a pity, really, I could've shown off for once," the infant responded.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," hearing the Cervello's voice, Tsuna looked up warily, "your Mist Guardian candidate needs to present their half of the Mist-ring for the battle to begin,"

"Ah, you see, we don't-"

"Kufufu, you mean this?" all of the eyes turned to the source of the voice.

At the entrance to the gymnasium stood a purple-haired girl, with mismatched eyes, wearing the female Kokuyo uniform. She held up half of the Mist-ring. Behind her stood Joushima Ken and Kakimoto Chikusa, both looking as if they'd rather be any where but there. Neither of them really took notice of whom appeared to be their leader, pointedly staring elsewhere.

"Wha-what is-ouch! Reborn!" Tsuna fell to the ground when his tutor kicked him.

"Quiet Tsuna," the baby hitman glanced briefly at the girl, who smirked, before once more looking at the Cervello, "this is Tsuna's Mist Guardian candidate, Kuromu Dokuro,"

The two women were taken aback slightly, before nodding to each other. Mammon stepped forward, and as the mysterious girl did likewise, the illusion battle began. Both the Varia and Tsuna's group were subject to a display of potent illusions, and Tsuna's Hyper Intuition continued to tell him that something was wrong with the girl (she wasn't Mukuro, but she had his same aura, same powers, same _eye_). Ken and Chikusa, however, both refused to divulge any information on the matter.

"That girl made us come here after talking to that strange man, not like we wanted to be here, she's nothing like him," Ken growled out as means of explanation.

"You say that Ken, but you still walked here for Kuromu's sake, you have to at least respect her then," Chikusa replied, pushing up his glasses, and causing Ken to blush and state that that was "most definitely not the case, shut up already Kakipi!"

Tsuna stopped paying attention then, as the illusionist duel had gone far out of control then, as Mammon encased the girl in illusionary ice. The girl, (Kuromu, he remembered) merely smiled serenely as she twirled her trident (_Mukuro's_ trident), before fire pillars burst from the floor. Even as she continued to be surrounded by ice, she smirked. The match was almost declared over then, but the girl burst out surrounded by revoltingly gorgeous flowers. Mammon was no match for her. The finale to the fight was gruesome and Tsuna was sure he'd have nightmares for months – she had burst the child _from the inside_. His only consolation was when his new Mist Guardian stated that she had not killed the baby.

As the Varia left and Tsuna's group filed out, he turned to stare at the retreating back of the three surprise guests. They were leaving already, presumably on their way back to Kokuyo Land. Kuromu happened to glance back at the exact same moment and their eyes met. As she smirked, Tsuna swore he heard Mukuro's voice in the wind,

"I _will_ destroy the Mafia, Sawada Tsunayoshi, and you will help me do so,"

Shivering slightly, the teenage Boss-to-be turned to his tutor, who was also watching the group with a wary eye.

"Iemitsu said she'd do the job, and he was right, she's perfect for the Mist position," Reborn commented.

"But something's bothering you? Who is she anyway?" Colonello, who had also been present at the match, landed next to his fellow Arcobaleno.

"She is both Rokudo Mukuro and a child called Nagi, and at the same time, she is neither," the hitman tutor replied.

"Eh?" Tsuna could not make heads or tails of that statement. Reborn smirked, and looked up at him, before jumping and seating on his head.

"Don't bother thinking about it Tsuna, losers like you could never understand, just be glad she's on our side," _for now _was left unsaid, but both Tsuna and Reborn were aware of it.

Kuromu Dokuro was a Wild Card – she was useful and they were glad to have her on their side, especially as the future events with Byakuran unfolded, however, there was no telling when she would turn against the Vongola instead. Tsuna hoped to change her mind before it was too late.

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><p><strong>AN. **this chapter was surprisingly easy to write. probably because i've been killing myself figuring out how we go from Mukuro to Chrome as full-time Mist Guardian from the beginning of the fic and wrote several notes about it while i wrote the other chapters. it pays to be ready in advance.

anyway. Kuromu is indeed the fusion of Mukuro and Chrome. Mukuro's body died in Vindice, but his mind-soul-whathaveyou merged with Chrome's in her body, creating an entirely new being. that's why she's both Chrome and Mukuro, but neither. she's called Kuromu because i didn't want to call her Chrome, since that was Nagi. i figured the anagram; the direct romanization of the Japanese spelling of Chrome fit her better. i...don't really consider her an OC, but i'd need to write more in order to fully explain the mechanics behind why that is.

it's a pity i couldn't write much about her future role without making this too long, or be more introspective (although her mind's quite chaotic), but with the ideas for one-shots in this verse i've been having i could still give it a go. her role in Future Arc is still in the process of being figured out though, so it's just as well.

as always, concrit, flames and reviews are welcome here.

two more chapters to go! i really need to start writing if i wanna finish this and everything else before i go off to college OTL


	6. Cloud

**A Look Through Glass**

**Pairing.** one-sided MMxMukuro  
><strong>Rating.<strong> PG-13  
><strong>AN.** this chapter's slightly shorter than usual, i'm not too sure why. i still need to re-read, might do so later. anyway, this glimpse is set slightly before and during the Varia Arc, with heavy allusions to the Future. no real, clear timeline this time around.

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><p>If you asked M.M., she'd tell you she had nothing whatsoever to do with the Vongola Family. Like Mukuro and the rest of the Kokuyo gang, she absolutely despised the Mafia. However, M.M. was a practical person, and not above going out of her way to obtain her goals. In this sense, M.M. was very much the shrewd businessman making a temporary arrangement that fit with his goals at the time, only to later turn tail and disappear.<p>

As such, M.M. grudgingly accepted the fact that being the bearer of the Vongola Cloud Ring gave her power she otherwise would not have. Thus, she was at times a member of the Vongola Family, even if she hated them.

And hate them she did. Aside from being the most powerful Mafia Family around, they were also the reason Mukuro was gone. _Gone. _Forever. If the Tenth Vongola Boss hadn't gotten in Mukuro's way and sent him back to prison, then he might still be alive today. But no, the kid just _had _to make things complicated. And now, because he'd been sent back to Vindice, Mukuro was dead. And even though M.M. knew that Mukuro was powerful, she'd searched through files and files, following any sort of lead – there was no other possible conclusion. The most important man in her life was gone.

It was around the time when this realization hit her that she began to hear rumours of a woman named Kuromu Dokuro who had taken up residence in Kokuyo Land. Furious at the thought of someone occupying _his _place, M.M. had immediately set out for Japan to give the woman, Ken and Chikusa an earful.

Imagine her surprise when she walked through the doors of the abandoned center only to meet Mukuro's eyes. Only, they _weren't_ Mukuro's eyes. They looked like his eyes – one blue, one red – and they were framed by the same lines, full of the same scorn and personality that Mukuro had but.

They weren't Mukuro's eyes.

Instead, they belonged to a mere girl with purple hair styled in the same manner as Mukuro's and dressed in the female Kokuyo uniform, while Ken and Chikusa sat in two moth-filled cushions.

M.M. stood, transfixed at the sight for a whole ten minutes, before breaking out of her trance and hurling herself at the girl with a snarl.

The two tumbled back, since the Mukuro-look alike had been taken by complete surprise. What ensued was what most people refer to as a cat fight – nail scratching, hair pulling, whatever underhand tactic one can think of. Ken and Chikusa, after several failed attempts, managed to separate them.

"Let me go! LET ME GO! I'm going to _kill_ her! Who the _hell_ does she think she is?" M.M. thrashed around, but Ken's grip was firm – she suspected he might be using his Kong channel but her anger clouded her thoughts.

From the floor, the girl chuckled, looking up at M.M. with those horrible eyes. Her lip was busted, allowing blood to flow freely, and her beautiful face was marred with scratches. Chikusa was close to her – not touching her, but keeping guard nonetheless.

"You're going to kill me, hmm? Well, that's certainly something I didn't expect…" the girl chuckled again, amused at M.M.'s expense.

This only served to anger the redhead further, but even by thrashing more violently she was unable to break out of Ken's hold. Instead, she eventually slumped against the blond, heaving, as choked sobs and tears began to mar her vision. Then she gazed straight at the girl's eyes, fury, scorn and absolute hatred reflected in the teary orbs.

"I _hate _you," it was barely a whisper, and more like a hiss. M.M. then stomped on Ken's foot, and as soon as he let go, she'd run out.

A few days later, a man named Iemitsu found her at her hotel, and offered her the Vongola Cloud half-ring. M.M. was absolutely against the idea – in fact, she laughed in his face in pure disbelief at first. Then he informed her that _that girl _was the Mist Guardian candidate, and that if she accepted, M.M. would probably be able to end that unfinished business.

She agreed in a heartbeat: the possibility of ruining Kuromu Dokuro's pretty face and lithe body on an almost daily basis for even attempting to resemble Mukuro made the proposal all too compelling to refuse.

Because M.M. _loathed_ Kuromu Dokuro with a passion one usually associates with lovers. She could not stand the girl – woman – man, whatever she was. To M.M., Kuromu Dokuro was no more than a ridiculous caricature of Rokudo Mukuro, a man she loved and had the utmost respect for, and she could never hope to be better than him. Kuromu's very existence was a complete fraud to M.M., and she was outspoken in her hatred, both through her actions and vicious words.

The rest of the Guardians were apprehensive about M.M.: I-Pin avoided her like the plague, Haru tolerated her, Gamma dealt with her from a distance and even ever-friendly Kyoko had a hard time dealing with her. Kuromu would merely smile mysteriously, amused, whenever M.M. directed her hate-filled gaze in her direction.

Only a precious few knew of the real reason for M.M.'s hatred, and they knew better than to go telling others or attempting to calm the woman. M.M. was a one-woman natural disaster – it was said that whenever she was given a mission, none of her targets lived more than an hour.

She had not always been like that. No, the truth was that M.M. loved Mukuro dearly and hated Kuromu, because she felt used and, most of all, _betrayed_. The redhead could not understand why Mukuro would have picked any other woman over her, because she would have gladly given up control of her body for him. But no, the man had to wholly disappear from her life, only to reappear again as a part of a female whole which was as far away from the original as possible.

But M.M. could never hate Mukuro, so instead she directed all of her anger towards the woman wearing his powers and personality as if they were her own: Kuromu. And whenever she was given a mission, she used all of her anger to accomplish it, seeing Kuromu's face whenever she killed someone, and hearing Kuromu's bones crushing instead of her actually targets.

It was for this reason that M.M. was such a fearful opponent: a Cloud Guardian that would go down in Vongola history for being excessively violent – both to her targets and to her own Family.

After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

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><p><strong>AN. **M.M.'s a crazy lady, yes she is. i…don't really have much to say about this chapter. i figured M.M. would definitely not like Kuromu, but she would never stop loving Mukuro. and she'd be a good Cloud Guardian because she most definitely would not want anything with the man who sent Mukuro to prison, but she's also very practical, and would see how useful it could be. plus she enjoys giving Kuromu bruises because she hates her. a lot. yeah. no mentions of a weapon because i couldn't think of one OTL

anyway, second-to-last chapter, yay! maybe i'll actually manage to finish this before i leave next week.

comments are always appreciated!


	7. Sky

**A Look Through Glass**

**Pairing.** Hinted at K27, I-PinLambo and AriaGamma, rumours of KyokoXanxus and KyokoReborn, one-sided MMxMukuro, past one-sided Haru27  
><strong>Rating.<strong> PG-13  
><strong>AN.** last chapter you guys! it's my first finished multi-chapter, i feel so mature now -sob-

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><p>Tsuna had never intended to be a Mafia Boss. He absolutely <em>abhorred<em> the idea - was well-known for rejecting the title for much of his teenage years. At least until he began to realize that for every bad element he attributed to the Mafia, there was something that made life better for his Family.

Because at the end of the day, Reborn was right. _Tsuna was no hero._ Tsuna was a kid who had friends he cared deeply about enough to consider them Family, and that he was willing to go to great lengths to protect. At the end of day, Tsuna was indeed a selfish person, who was willing to sacrifice the happiness of others or harm them, if it meant protecting and making life easier for his Family. And he was then willing to bear the burden of guilt himself, making him inherently selfless and what many might call a walking contradiction. In fact, it made him _human_.

Although this was simply one of many, it was one of the main reasons why the Ninth had handpicked him to be the Tenth - because the Vongola _needed_ a human Boss. Tsuna's selfishness, which he both reproached himself for and acknowledged, made him the ideal candidate. He was benevolent for the most part, especially to members of his own Family, but whenever someone crossed swords with the Vongola, he would not hesitate to turn them into dusting charcoal, or to calmly order their assassination, or quietly threaten them with bodily harm should they even _suggest_ harming anyone he was close to. Tsuna would be remembered in Vongola history as a benevolent, but nonetheless powerful and almost deceptively cunning Boss - _Reborn had taught him well_.

For as the bearer of the Vongola Sky Ring, it meant he had to shoulder a great responsibility and have a strong will to protect. Yet at the same time, he had to be benevolent and forgiving, thus gaining powerful allies.

The Tenth Generation Vongola Guardian's would come to be revered through history as similar to their Boss in that they were all smiles and laughter but strong-willed and almost savage when the time called for it. And all of these mafiosi answered to their Boss with the utmost degree of loyalty, although in some cases it was questionable, because of the trust and care he invested in each one of them.

The Storm Guardian of the Tenth Generation was but a child when she was originally selected, and indeed Tsuna had been absolutely against her becoming a Guardian at first. She was too young, unaware of the dangers of the world she was entering. However, as time passed and they all grew, he began to realise what I-Pin herself told him when she visited from the future - that she enjoyed the craziness that living in the Sawada household meant, that she loved everyone and liked playing with them, that the Vongola had allowed her to meet once of her dearest friends (and perhaps more): Lambo. And that, for all the dangers they faced, she felt herself a part of a whole, of a _Family_, for the first time in her life. Thus, Tsuna relented and recognized her as his Storm Guardian, earning her respect and loyalty for she felt his recognition, making her proud to gain it from someone she still revered to this day as an older brother.

The Rain Guardian, who had originally intended to become his wife but soon relented, was a dear friend, someone whom he turned to often when he needed a new perspective on the situation. For all of the girl's tears in their first confrontation with the Varia, she had grown to become a mild-tempered, calm voice of reason whenever the rest of the Guardian's or the Boss needed it. She had been offered to leave once, and it now shames her to say that she ever considered the offer, because Haru cannot - will not - imagine what her life would have been like had she not stayed with them. Because although she grew as a fighter and a mafiosi, she feels that more than anything she grew as a _person_, and that she can attribute this to her dearest friend and Boss, Tsuna, and the trust and time he invested in her and their friends. For this reason, she raises her sword against those who oppose her friends and Family, determined to gain their happiness and peace at whatever cost, always pledging her loyalty for a Boss who could have turned her out once but instead trusted her to stay.

The Sun Guardian, who had quickly become one of his most loyal and feared soldiers, was a touchy subject half the time, even to this day. That the two cared for each other as more than Guardian and Boss, or even as more than friends, was obvious as the light of day. However, due to ancient Vongola traditions originally put in place by the Eighth's father, the Boss could not be in any form of a romantic relationship with one of their Guardian's, because it unfortunately left them both vulnerable to betrayal and it promoted interbreeding. As a result, their relationship was very much look-but-not-touch, yet the persevered. Kyoko's reputation as one of the strongest Guardian's and her training sessions with Xanxus and Reborn often resulted in vicious humors by the other Mafia women. Yet none of this bothered her, even as she was witness to them throwing themselves at Tsuna. Because Kyoko was more than anything _thankful_ to Tsuna for allowing her to grow and develop into a powerful, confident woman who had no need to be protected for she could do it herself instead of keeping her in the dark and doing the dishes. She loved him for that, of course, and she was quite certain he loved her in return, but she would never be willing to go against the decrees of the Family that had _made_ her into who she was today, not even batting an eyelid at her gender or almost overly feminine disposition. And as for her loyalty to Tsuna, it was never questioned by those that mattered, for they all knew the harsh reality of their situation.

The Thunder Guardian was a curious case, in that very much like the First Guardian he was not even from the Vongola Family or from a not-Mafia connected household, but from a different Mafia Family altogether: the Giglio Nero. He had been vehemently denied by those in the upper echelons at first (who, strangely enough, had not been against a toddler and two middle-school girls), but Gamma's almost frightening efficiency and capability to reign in the other Guardian's, even the most problematic, eventually won them over. The fact that in his becoming a part of the Vongola they gained another allied Family was also in his favour. And his renowned skills in combat gave him plus points he did not really need. It was eventually decided that perhaps having a Guardian already familiar with the world of the Mafia in a generation that either knew nothing of it or despised it completely would be for the best. As for Gamma himself, he had been downright _insulted_ that his loyalty had even been under question when he found out, because although he cared for the Giglio Nero and Aria deeply, to him his duty as a Right-Hand had been _unquestionable_ since the day Sawada Tsunayoshi saved his life.

The Mist Guardian was another one that raised opposition, because despite appearances old mafiosi were not, in fact, stupid, but could tell that the girl who called herself Kuromu Dokuro was somehow related to the convict Rokudo Mukuro. Her continuous and documented mentions of destroying the Mafia and the Vongola through Tsuna were also presented as evidence against her position. The girl herself did not care for inter-Family politics, however all attempts at taking the Mist Ring from her had encountered nothing but failure. This was because although Kuromu Dokuro was many things, she was _not_ foolish enough to let such a powerful tool slip from her fingers. As a result, she remained the Mist Guardian, and as the years passed and she did them more good than bad, the old mafiosi were forced to accept her. Not that she particularly cared, of course. She was not loyal to them, nor was she loyal to Sawada Tsunayoshi. She just happened to have the utmost respect for the man as a result of glimpses of memories of a Future That Never Was, in which she found herself owing him a great debt. Kuromu doubted he was aware of the fact, however she_ hated_ being indebted to anyone, whether they knew of it or not. Thus, she would abstain herself from completing her plans until she judged the debt paid.

If the Mist and Thunder Guardian's had been questioned, it should come as no surprise that the Cloud Guardian was as well. The woman was a loose cannon on the best days, and there was no telling _what_ she'd do when she snapped. Amongst her victims, Vongola infrastructure was one of her favourites whenever she was mad at her Boss. Complaints about damage costs were never mentioned to her, however, and instead it was Tsuna that was hassled. Yet for all of M.M.'s destructive behaviour, it was undeniable that the woman was determined and nothing if efficient in her work, so long as she was kept away from the Mist Guardian, who was all too happy to goad her into destructive mode. Few knew of how the woman had become that destructive force, and less would have guessed that it was as a result of a lost love and what she identified as complete betrayal. Tsuna, of course, knew. And she knew that he knew, for he had just so happened to come upon her in weakest hour and served as a poor source of comfort. M.M. had grudgingly grown to respect him as of that moment, for she knew most men would have turned tail and ran instead of offering comfort, or, as she needed at the moment, offer themselves as a punching bag. Her high regard for him increased, as did her hunger to combat him, when she caught glimpses of what he could eventually become. It was in this sense that she was extremely loyal to him.

Aside from his Guardian's, Tsuna had also managed to gain all sort of powerful allies and have them pledge to his cause: Xanxus' grudging obedience (and by association that of the Varia), the support of the Cavallone, the so-called 'taming' of Scorpion Bianchi and her inclusion in CEDEF, and the contact with two up-and-coming geniuses: Irie Shouichi and Spanner. Not to mention the liaison with the Shimon Family, the respect of the Arcobaleno and the mysterious presence of a helpful Byakuran.

Becuase at the end of the day, the Sky _does_ encompass it all. Or at least, all that it can hold dearly. Because Tsuna was selfish, choosing to only protect those important to him, but that was because he was only human.

And it was his acknowledgement of his humanity and faults which made him into what he was: the perfect candidate for the position of Tenth Vongola Boss.

* * *

><p><strong>AN.** aaaaaand it's done! wow. i'm sorry i left you guys hanging for so long, i finally managed to get a writing program and take some time to write this up today after being so busy moving in, getting to classes, getting used to college. aaaah, transition, fun times.

anywayy. i am actually very happy with this final chapter. i always planned to go through each of the Guardian's and show why they respect Tsuna, thus showing Tsuna himself in the process or something. i'm just mad i couldn't come up with more for I-Piiiiin. i didn't know what else to writee.

obviously, there are still many unfinished threads: Tsuna and Kyoko's relationship, Kuromu's memories, M.M.'s breakdown, to name just but a few of the ideas running through my head. unfortunately, these further explorations are further down my list of priorities fanfic-wise. i am determined to write them, just not immediately, because this finale took a lot more out of me than i thought it would, and i've got other stuff to get to.

that's it for now, ducklings. i'm off to translate Latin and read about Ancient Egypt now.

comments are always appreciated!


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